Global Youth Services Day
with an Essay Writing & Oral Competition
May 9th, 2013
4:00pm to 8:00pm. Topic: What approach would you take to stop your peers from experimenting
with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Include in your essay, any reasons why
you believe they do so. The Oral Competition to be held at the Helenic Orthodox
Community School
3573 Bruckner Blvd.

Recently, there
has been great concern exhibited on the part of the community concerning the
movement of 65 residents with a history of mental illness into the Pelham Grand
building, located at 1870 Pelham Parkway South. The residents of the building
are clients of an organization known as Services for the UnderServed, a
contractor to the New York State Department of Mental Health. They were
relocated to this property from their building, located at 318 Beach 85th Street
in Far Rockaway. This building’s lower two floors had been destroyed by
Hurricane Sandy and it became uninhabitable. The residents have been placed in
the building for a period of six to nine months (the time it takes to renovate
the building in Far Rockaway). The current residents at 1870 Pelham Parkway
South lived in their own apartments in Far Rockaway, as they do at 1870 Pelham
Parkway South. The Pelham Parkway South building is not a single room occupancy
structure. The residents are not transient, nor did they come from a homeless
shelter. They came from an apartment building, where many of them have lived for
years.

This building is
located in a viable community and at the close of the renovation period, they
will return to it. The residents were moved into the Pelham Parkway building
under a system employed by the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH)
which by law, is not required to inform a community board or elected official of
a site placement in any community. Instead, the OMH depends on its contractor,
in this case SUS, to conduct the outreach. SUS had already begun moving clients
into the building, as they met with the Community Board and the elected. This
is how OMH, a taxpayer supported, governmental agency operates. Contrast this
with their colleague agency the
New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), which
when siting a group home in a community, is required to contact the Community
Board with a forty day notice, an opportunity to conduct a public hearing and to
appeal a decision regarding the location of a home to OPWDD. This notification
and appeal systems are part of a law governing OPWDD, known as the Padavan Law.
The Board will be contacting the Governor and our State elected representatives
to have OMH covered under the Padavan Law. SUS has asked the community for its
assistance in creating a Community Advisory Board for the facility. This Board
will be responsible for ensuring that the facility is operated in a manner
consistent with neighborhood standards, the operator is also interested in
providing tours of the facility, so that people can meet the residents and get
to know them. The person in charge is Dr. Ades and he is willing to speak with
anyone who wants a truthful analysis of the situation. His number is
917-408-1605.

Another concern is the disposition of the Westchester Square Medical Center. For
many years the hospital struggled to provide quality medical services, while
contending with bankruptcy. Montefiore Hospital has been awarded the property
and will operate an emergency care/ambulatory care center on site. Eventually,
the building will be operated as a same day surgery center on the upper floors.
There are many questions concerning the bed availability and the status of the
employees. The Board is committed to working to see that that the neighborhood
has a viable health care institution serving it, and has contacted the New York
State Department of Health requesting that it be retained as a full service
institution.

In New York City, residential property owners are responsible for the
maintenance of the service lines connecting their properties to the City’s water
main or sewer lines. If this line is broken or damaged, it is the responsibility
of the owner to hire a New York City Licensed Master Plumber to effectuate the
repairs. This is a very expensive proposition, sometimes costing thousands of
dollars. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection is offering an
insurance program for the repair of these lines with American Water Resources.
DEP’s customers will pay $3.99 per month for the protection of the water line
and $7.99 per month for the protection of the sewer line. Customers who choose
to join this voluntary program can insure both the water and sewer lines, or
just one or the other. Additional information can be obtained by contacting
1-888-300-3570 or by visiting
www.AWRUSA.com/NYC

How would like to help your community? Be in the know on what the City plans for
your neighborhood? Community Boards assist people in their problems with City
government and disseminate information about its programs, provide advisory
opinions on land use matters and how the city spends its money. Sound
interesting? Applications are available to join Community Board #10. Interested
parties can contact the Borough President’s Office at 718-590-3914 or go on line
at
http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/ .

Many of us are truly fortunate in having four legged friends; please remember to
clean up after your dog. It is very important for the health of your dog and
your neighbors. Besides, there is a $250.00 fine for failing to clean up after
your pet and violating the pooper-scooper law.

Bronx Community Board #10 is available to assist you with your concerns, please
feel free to contact us at 718-892-1161 or
BX10@cb.nyc.gov . Please feel free to visit our office at 3165 E.
Tremont Avenue. We are open five days a week between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM.